And burnt a hole in our pockets.
It seems like giving birth in Sweden and Singapore are two totally different matters.
Cost of check-ups and consultation
Sweden - Free
Singapore - Expensive
Cost of hospitalisation
Sweden - Free
Singapore - Very expensive
Cost of giving birth
Sweden - Free
Singapore - Bloody expensive
Yes, the fact the Sweden has an extraordinarily high taxation rate gives rise to a welfare system where we see doctors and have babies for free. Nonetheless, having gotten pregnant, given birth and raised my first kid there, I've sort of gotten used to everything and so it comes as a culture shock to me now that I'm home.
What baffles me the most is that despite the fact that I am 30-week pregnant, I had to pay the full cost for the antenatal package, same as what a 5-week pregnant mom had to pay. I mean, hello, my baby will be kicking her way out in no time, I've missed out on all the tests you perform in the first and second trimester, BUT I don't get a discount? Life's unfair.
Back in Sweden, the midwives believe in traditional methods, for instance they use measuring tape to measure how much our bellies have grown and they use a fetoscope to listen to the baby's heartbeat. Drastic differences compared to the computerised, hi-tech equipment here. When it comes to ultrasounds, only one scan is performed in the entire pregnancy to ensure the baby is fine, which makes that picture you get a one and only treasure. But in Singapore, I guess you probably lose count of how many scans you do and the pictures stack up like name cards.
Some things I especially love about giving birth in Sweden:
1) Precious first momentsMy baby was passed to me the first moment she was born. She laid on my chest as we cuddled together, and the hubby and I sang songs to her, all the time when I was being stitched up. Yeah, that pretty much means we were in a bloody mess but I love those precious first moments of her life and how we spent it as one family. I was told that in Singapore, the baby will be cleaned, checked and weighed before she is handed over to the mum, but upon request, you can ask for immediate handover too. Which I definitely will, bloody or not.
2) No such thing as nursery
As soon as Angel was born, she stuck with me 24/7 for the remaining days in the hospital. That means even as new mom and dad, you learn to take care of your child on your own from birth. Of course, there are nurses to help you should you require any aid, but when it comes to breastfeeding, soothing, changing diapers, making the baby sleep, you basically do it yourself. And no, we don't bathe the child every day there, but they did teach us how to bathe her the night before we got discharged. So you see, there's no such thing as pushing your baby to and fro the nursery or letting the mom get a good night's rest. In spite of that, I actually love the experience of sleeping with her in the same room and knowing that she's beside me every minute, every second.
3) One family, one room
We were probably lucky that it wasn't the peak season for giving birth, so we got our own ward for three nights of stay. It had two double beds and the hubby was able to comfortably sleep and stay over. Though we stuck to eating home cooked confinement food, it still felt nice to know that the hospital had catered meals to both the mom and dad every single day. The other day at my check-up here, we were told that we needed to decide on which type of ward we wish to take up, almost instantly. Seeing all the pricing for a single bedded room and the costs for having your companion to bunk in, I was flabbergasted and half wished I was still in Sweden.
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I guess it does seem like it's indeed not cheap to give birth in Singapore, probably partly the reason for our low birth rate.
$$$$$$$$$. It's a money-minded society.
Well, big hole in pocket or not, right now, all I'm hoping for is a smooth and safe delivery and that she will make everything seem so worth it.
After all, she's priceless.
P/S: Oh, did I mention epidural is also free in Sweden? I didn't take it then and I hope I won't need it now. You ain't gonna earn my $$$ by sticking a needle into my spine. *fingers crossed*
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